PHOTOS: Inside the D’Addario String Factory

D’Addario uses about 75 percent less waste in their packaging compared to most string companies in part due to these colored balls that identify the different string gauge, according to Director of Product Management Brian Vance.

The D’Addario art of string-making dates back to Italy in the late 1600s. Most families in the village of Salle, where the D’Addarios are from where either farmers or string makers.

The first D’Addario family member, Charles D’Addario came to the U.S in 1905, and with him came the strings from Italy. In 1918, Charles began manufacturing the first D’Addario strings in the US in a tiny garage in Astoria, Queens.

Today, there are more than 1,100 D’Addario employees worldwide and including 800 in the US.

D’Addario musical accessories are sold in more than 120 countries.

Strings are wound two at a time and placed on a conveyor belt for packaging. The company tried to automate it but found it was more efficient to have a person do it.

When each string is packaged it comes with a QR code that can be scanned to ensure authenticity.